The Importance of Being and Blood
by MerlinStar
Summary: A hunting trip and a patrol leave the entire of Camelot reeling in shock, though joy sparks from this horror. But all is not well as an old foe soon returns. Soon, Merlin finds himself struggling between Camelot's laws and what is right, and he isn't the only one. If Camelot is to survive then they must fight fire with fire. A/G, M/F and Gwaine/OC-ish. Set after S4
1. Prologue

_Here's the thing. I had an idea that went down two different routes, which is why there are two versions of this story. Both are reletively different but there are some serious similarities. One will probably be longer than the other as well. Sorry if there is any confusion._

* * *

**Prologue**

The cloaked figure, wearing nothing but black, stood on the edge of the cliff ledge, watching the people jostling about beneath them. Their head cocked to the side as a blonde man in glistening chainmail yelled at a raven-haired man dressed in simple clothes with a neckerchief tied around his neck.

They then cast their gaze over the other men that were also there, watching the first two with plain amusement. One with dark brown hair and a beard called over to the other two, causing everyone to burst out laughing. The figure surveyed this man for a moment.

The group then began to pack their belongings and the mysterious person continued to silently watch them, completely motionless, though the wind continued to whip their cloak around their feet.

At one point, the raven-haired man paused, as if sensing something, and slowly turned to look up at the cliff top. All he saw was the empty space of nothing. The figure had vanished.

* * *

_Let me know what you think. Thank you._

_MerlinStar  
_


	2. Chapter 1

_I'm so sorry it's been a while (I'm not dead in case you were wondering), but the hiatus is over. Finally, here is the first proper chapter, though the main Merlin and Gwaine parts and until a bit later on in the story. This chapter focuses on Merlin and Gwen (a bit). Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Merlin hated sunny days. Every morning when he woke and the sun struck him in the face, he would groan for he knew what was coming. Arthur would want to go hunting and he could tell that today was not going to be an exception.

It had been almost two months since they had reclaimed the city off of Morgana for the second time. Arthur and Gwen were now married and the kingdom was at peace. Merlin grinned at his next thought- even Gwaine was more placid than he normally was. The warlock hadn't heard of him getting into any tavern brawls for a long while.

But then Merlin could guess the reason. Gwaine, Gaius and Elyan had suffered the most because of Morgana. Elyan had been tortured to near insanity and he was still jumpy and flinched whenever silence fell. Gaius had nearly starved to death and Merlin had refused to let Gaius do most of his work for the first month, though this only added to the young man's workload, not that he was complaining. Gaius was like the father he had never gotten to know and the warlock was not about to lose him, Arthur's temper be damned. Gwaine had been put through God knows what whilst having to fight off Morgana's mercenaries in return for mouldy bread. The knight joked about it from time to time but Merlin and Gaius were still having to double-check a couple of his fractured ribs from time to time.

Nevertheless, nothing could stop the infectious happiness that Arthur and Gwen's marriage had brought. It was hard for them to think about those dark times when a bright and glowing future was promised.

Pushing himself out of bed, Merlin dressed and snuck out of the room, unwilling to wake Gaius. Merlin was still reluctant to let his mentor work too hard.

He made his way down the many corridors that would lead him to the king and queen's chambers, grinning at anyone who said hello to him. He soon reached his master's door and knocked. This was something that Merlin had had to train himself to do for fear that he interrupted something. Arthur would murder him and he doubted that Gwen would help him.

He heard a muffled voice through the thick wood and took it to mean that he could enter. Peering around the wood, he could only see Gwen, who was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Morning."

"Hello Merlin," she said, grinning at Merlin's shocked expression. "If you're looking for Arthur, he's already getting the knights ready to go hunting."

"Typical," Merlin muttered. He was about to leave when he took in Gwen's appearance properly.

He could easily recognise the signs of lack of sleep. Gwen's complexion was paler than usual and there were black rings under her eyes. Her hair was also ruffled; returning to the frizzy locks that she had sported before she had become queen.

"Gwen? Are you alright?" The warlock walked into the bedroom and sat next to his friend, a hand on her arm.

She beamed at him despite her tired expression. "I'm fine, Merlin… I've just… There's been a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it? You're not ill are you? Do you need me to get Gaius? Saying that he's still asleep and I don't want to wake him up, so I could just go and get a medical bag."

Gwen chuckled at Merlin's ranting, releasing his grip on her arm and holding his hand. "It's medical but I don't think it's anything to panic about."

"If it's medical then it could be something to worry about."

"Merlin-"

"Do you actually know what's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me… It's… I'm late."

The servant stared at her, nonplussed. "Sorry?"

"I'm… I'm late… I'm seriously late." As she spoke, she lowered her gaze towards her abdomen before giving Merlin a pointed glance.

After a few seconds, it hit him. He ogled at her, his goofy smile appearing. Gwen had to titter.

"You're not?"

"I think I might be."

"How long?"

"It's been about a month, or at least I think it has."

"Gwen… this is fantastic… Have you told Arthur?"

Gwen's smile faded. "I haven't said anything. I don't want him to be expectant and nothing happens. What if I'm not?"

Merlin rolled his eyes in a comical fashion, causing the queen to laugh again.

"You've only been queen for two months. Nobody expects you to get pregnant right away. It took Arthur's mother years to conceive. How about this? When I get back from Arthur's stupid hunting trip and Gaius is on his rounds, I'll come and get you. We'll go to Gaius' rooms and I'll do the tests."

"I've never seen you do them before."

"I saw Gaius do it once and he had me try a few times after that." He grimaced at the memories. "It wasn't pleasant, but they all had healthy babies, so I can be happy about that."

"Is there anything I need to do beforehand?"

"Just try not to… relieve yourself too much because I need… you know."

The two giggled at Merlin's reluctance to be specific.

"He is going to kill me though."

"Why should he?"

"Because, if you really are having a baby, he won't be happy that I found out before him, or anyone else for that matter. Elyan and Gaius would be a different story."

"Well at least I haven't told Gwaine, Percival or Leon."

"Definitely not; they gossip like old maids."

"Speaking of Arthur and the knights, shouldn't you…"

Merlin groaned and sped towards the door. "I'll see you later, Gwen."

"Have fun."

"You know I won't."

* * *

Arthur span around as a twig suddenly snapped.

"_Merlin!_" he hissed. His clumsy manservant had once again disturbed the undergrowth, meaning that their prey- a young buck- dashed into the depths of the forest. "You idiot."

"It's not my fault I keep finding twigs with every step that I take."

"If you can find them, then why do you _step on them?_"

"Alright, girls, calm down," Gwaine teased shaking his head. "If you keep on arguing, we won't catch anything."

Muttering under his breath, Arthur carried on into the forest, the knights and Merlin following closely behind.

"You'd think that he'd be a little less tetchy," Gwaine whispered to Merlin and Percival. "It's a wonder he hasn't scared everything off. I thought hunting helped him to calm down."

"He's on edge," Merlin explained. "He knows that anyone could attack us at any moment."

"It's expected," Percival added, "especially after what happened."

The three flinched as they thought back to a couple of months ago. At one point, they had all feared that Camelot was lost and they were thankfully that they weren't living with that dread anymore.

"Has Gwen said anything?" Percival asked Merlin.

"Err," Merlin was taken aback by the question. He had to remind himself that he was the only one that Gwen had told about her suspected pregnancy. "I saw her this morning but she didn't say that there was something wrong."

Merlin stopped there as he had noticed that Arthur's head had pricked in his direction. How much had he heard?

"How's Gaius anyway?" Gwaine asked, he too noticing Arthur's pointed attention.

"He's better thanks," the warlock replied. "He was still sleeping when I left."

"He needs it. I know you've been helping him do everything but he's still doing too much. Poor man should hire some more hands."

Merlin was touched by his friend's compassion.

There was a sudden scream and the group looked at each other before sprinting in the direction from which it had come.

They soon came across a small group of travellers, who were currently being attacked by a large number of bandits. Surveying the situation, Arthur, the knights and Merlin could see that a couple of people were already on the ground, bleeding heavily and trying to edge back towards their companions. The bandits themselves were beating down any resistance and stripping their victims of anything valuable, which was barely anything at all.

Arthur tensed, ready to jump out at the bandits. That was when something completely unexpected happened.

There was a feral howl, which made everybody freeze; even the bandits. A shadowy figure suddenly leapt out of a tree and attacked the bandits with a ferocity that Arthur and the others had rarely seen before. The figure was completely dressed in black, their features invisible because of the hood pulled over their face. Their gloved hands held one of the largest swords that anyone had ever seen and the figure was using it to cut down the bandits. Even though this person was outnumbered, they went uninjured as the bandits aimed their efforts at them, only to be cut down like their comrades.

The knights, who had been momentarily stunned by the new arrival's actions, soon came back to themselves and rushed down the small hill to aid in the rescuing of the travellers. It didn't take long as the dark figure had already dealt with over half of them.

As soon as all of the bandits were dead, the unknown person turned tail and rushed into the shady forest, not even bothering to explain who they were.

"Elyan, stay here with Merlin and Percival," Arthur ordered. "Gwaine and Leon, with me."

The three knights took off after the stranger. They could just make out the long cloak that fanned out behind the mysterious figure and they tried to increase their efforts in catching up to them. However, they presently discovered that the hooded person had vanished from sight.

"Damn," Arthur growled.

"Was that who I think it was?" Leon queried, peering around in case he suddenly spotted their quarry.

"The description fits," Arthur replied, kicking at the dusty ground in mild frustration. "We'd better get back and make sure that the others are alright with those people."

It turned out that Merlin, Elyan and Percival were coping and the people had mostly recovered from their shock. Merlin had also cleaned and mended any wounds that had been inflicted, meaning that the travellers could go on their way when they were ready.

"Did you catch him?" Elyan asked as the other three returned.

"No," Gwaine muttered, darkly. "He can run fast, I'll give him that."

"Do you think that was the Shadow?" Percival enquired.

"Definitely," Arthur said. "That person fitted the description perfectly."

Merlin was utterly confused by this and gazed around at his friends. "The Shadow? What is that- a ghost?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. Obviously, Merlin had not been at every single Council meeting because of his concern for Gaius (something which Arthur didn't begrudge in the slightest), but the young man could be _so_ oblivious to some things. To think that this servant gossiped with the kitchen staff and he still didn't know about this when the stories had circled the entire kingdom.

"They say that's what he's like when he appears," Gwaine told his friend. "He turns up when there's trouble and he sorts it out. Then he goes, as if he was never there. I'm surprised you haven't heard any of the stories. Most people can't seem to shut up about him. Last week he stopped a village burning down singlehandedly before the patrol got anywhere near there. It has to make you think though."

"About what?" Merlin felt his insides curl as he guessed the answer.

"If he uses magic," Leon said, confirming the warlock's suspicions. "It's one of the only possible explanations. After what we've just seen, I wouldn't be surprised if he _is_ a sorcerer."

"Surely what he's doing is good though? If he can use magic then he's using it to save people. What's wrong with that?"

"The question is how long it will take before it corrupts him," Arthur intoned. Merlin felt his heart sink at this. "I'm not about to let my people suffer if the Shadow suddenly decides that he's had enough of saving people."

Silence followed this. Nobody was willing to either back up or argue against what the king had just said, so they unanimously decided to leave it at that. They had more pressing issues- at this point in time they decided to continue to help the travellers on the way.

* * *

Merlin led Gwen inside to Gaius chambers. They were both relieved to find that the physician had indeed gone on his rounds and they prayed that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Gwen sat down on the vacant bed as her friend began to dig out some equipment and shoed it onto Gaius' bench.

Soon, Merlin handed the queen a bucket, grimacing. "I know it's not ideal."

Gwen sighed. "Needs must. Can I use your room?"

"Sure."

She disappeared, allowing Merlin to set up the rest of the apparatus. Once this was done, he quickly checked that Gwen wasn't coming out. "Fȳrbyrnan." The small fire lit and Merlin prepared a small glass phial. Gwen then exited from his room, handing him the bucket.

Grimacing at what he was doing, Merlin wrapped a small cloth around the phial and quickly dunked it into the bucket, making sure that the liquid didn't come into contact with his hand. Gwen bore a similar expression.

"Sorry Merlin," she muttered as the warlock made his way back over to the bench.

"Don't be. What sort of friend would I be if I didn't help you out?"

Riffling through a book, Merlin paused at a page and gripped the phial between a pair of prongs before holding it over the flickering flames.

It took a relatively long time before the phial began to heat up. All Gwen could do was watch as Merlin frowned at his work, constantly looking from the phial to the book and back. The liquid then began to change.

At one point, Merlin started to grin. He stoppered the phial and gently leant it on the bench before turning to Gwen, whose face soon mirrored Merlin's.

"Gods," she breathed.

"Gwen… that's fantastic. You definitely have to tell Arthur."

The queen blanched slightly, Merlin knowing exactly what was meant by it. How was she going to tell Arthur? It wasn't something you dropped into everyday conversation by saying "we need to send a patrol to the outlying villages and, by the way, I'm pregnant".

"How do I tell him?" the queen muttered. "This is huge. I can't even guess how he'll react."

"All you can do take him aside and just tell him. You can't hide this from him. Hiding it will go out of the window in a couple of months."

Gwen chuckled, understanding what Merlin was saying. Besides, it was Arthur's baby and he had a right to know.

"Can I give you a hug?" the warlock suddenly asked. Gwen raised an eyebrow. "It's not every day I can congratulate my friend on something like this."

Gwen laughed again and entered Merlin's embrace, feeling relived to know that he was there for her.

"He will be mad that I knew before him," Merlin muttered. Gwen grimaced in agreement.

The door suddenly burst open and the two jumped back in shock to find a seriously irate looking Arthur dominating the doorstep.

"What is going on in here?" he glowered, gazing between the two.

Merlin and Gwen shared a brief gaze, but this only seemed to aggravate the king further.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you two acting strangely. I know something is going on."

"Nothing's going on, Arthur," Gwen whispered, trying to placate him. Arthur rounded on her.

"Then why have you barely talked to me for the last few weeks? Have I done something wrong? You can talk to Merlin but not me, your own husband! Is there something going on between the pair of you that I should know about?" Arthur was now looking mildly hurt as he spoke these words.

Merlin goggled at him. "You prat! Me and Gwen?"

Arthur didn't say anything, but the warlock knew what he would be saying if Gwen wasn't in the room. There had once been a time when Merlin and Gwen had liked each other, though they hadn't let it on.

"Are you as stupid as you look?" Merlin cried. "She's been worried about something and I offered to help and it wasn't something you would have been able to sort out, considering that you can't even light a fire, let alone heat a phial."

The king looked mortified at this. "Are you alright?" He went over to Gwen, his eyes full of concern. "Gwen, please tell me… Are you ill?"

The queen looked at Merlin, who gave her an encouraging nod.

"Arthur, you might need to sit down." She led her husband over to two vacated chairs and they both sat, Merlin standing in front of them, his arms crossed.

"Everything's fine, Arthur," Gwen explained. "It's more than fine."

"Then what's happened to make you so unhappy?"

"I wasn't unhappy, just… thinking, but Merlin's helped me clear it up… Arthur… I'm pregnant."

Arthur sat there, stunned into silence. Merlin would have found it comical if it wasn't a serious matter. After a few moments, he started to smile, which then turned into laughing. Gwen didn't know whether this was good or not.

"You're sure?" Arthur gasped once he had regained control of himself.

"Positive," Merlin said. "I'd just done a test before you nearly broke the door off its hinges."

Arthur relaxed into his chair, still smiling, before looking back at Gwen. "How long?"

"About a month, or at least that's what I think… Are you alright, Arthur?"

"Alright? Gwen... this is brilliant. After everything that's happened, I can't think of anything better. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to get both of our hoped up. I wanted someone to make sure before I could definitely tell you."

"You could have gone to Gaius."

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "I do know what I'm doing."

"With everything I give you, I'm surprised you did. Shouldn't you be polishing my armour?"

"Friends are more important than armour."

Arthur didn't reply, but gave his servant a small smile. He then frowned. "Hang on! That means Merlin knew before I did!"

"Oh boy," the warlock murmured.

* * *

_Reviews are helpful please. I am already writing the next chapter (not at this moment but you know what I mean)._

_Also, who here is excited for Series 5? It looks EPIC and I'm getting too overly-excited but I don't care. Only two weeks left! Saying that, my excitement will more than likely be marred by next week's Doctor Who- they've made it sound as if it's going to be heartbraking and I cry very easily.  
_

_MerlinStar  
_


	3. Chapter 2

****_Hello! Sorry it's been a while, I've just had so much work and a lot of people's 18ths. But here is the second chapter, introducing a couple of OCs. Obviously this won't fit what happens in Series 5, but I'm still having fun writing it. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The figure watched from the battlements and through the distorted stain glass window. A magnificent feast was being held and everybody was celebrating. From underneath the hood, a small chuckle escaped their lips as they spied on the overjoyed king and his wife and also the raucous knights. One of them with the longer hair had stood and proposed a toast before downing his goblet in one go. There was general laughter at his antics. The figure recognised this knight as the one who had called out to the king and his servant the last time they had watched the group.

They then turned their gaze to the manservant, who was resolutely standing by his master. The shrouded figure thrummed their fingers against the hilt of their sword and cocked their head to the side. It was amazing to see one as powerful as this young man see himself nothing more than a servant.

* * *

"Arthur still can't believe that you found out before him," Gwaine chuckled as he sidled up to his best friend after the feast. It was now pitch black outside, though many of the guests were still chatting animatedly as they trickled out of the hall. "I think you're lucky to have not ended up in the stocks."

"That's better than being murdered," the warlock muttered, grimacing in a mischievous fashion. "He honestly looked like he wanted to." Gwaine did not look as if he believed him, so Merlin carried on. "I think he thought that me and Gwen were having an affair."

The knight burst out laughing, stopping abruptly as he doubled over. The warlock watched as his friend tried to regain control of himself, which took a while if he was being honest.

"You… You and Gwen?" Gwaine gasped, still chortling. "I've never heard of anything more ridiculous." However, he sobered up when he saw Merlin's face.

"When I first came here, Gwen and I… liked each other… but we soon realised that it was just friendship- nothing more. Besides, she soon fell for Arthur."

"What about you?"

Merlin said nothing, but Gwaine saw the tightening of his jaw. The knight was not so drunk that he was too obnoxious to push the subject. He would if it was someone else, but this was Merlin. The servant was different from the others.

"Well, we're going to have a busy couple of months ahead of us," Gwaine declared.

"How come? The baby won't be due for at least another eight months."

"I thought you lived with a physician? Arthur's going to have us running around like headless chickens to get stuff ready."

"Headless chickens?"

"You know what I mean. We're also going to have to help with baby names."

"You are kidding me? It's Gwen and Arthur's child."

"But the last thing any child needs is to be named after some ancient king that's been dead for centuries."

"Arthur was named after his great-grandfather… or something like that."

Gwaine shrugged. "Fair point. I suppose it wouldn't be too bad. There are some names they should avoid though."

"Sorry?"

"There are a number of names that don't bode too well and I can think of a couple more I hope neither will bring up."

"It sounds as if you know a lot about names."

The knight flushed slightly, causing Merlin to raise an eyebrow. "Gwaine?"

"Don't laugh alright… but… when I was younger my sister dragged me into this game when we'd come up with names that we'd call our children. I think that was the longest time that I've ever been in a library."

"Are you sure it's not the only time?"

"Probably... Anyway, my sister found loads. I swear from that day it was her dearest ambition to populate the world because of the number of names she liked."

"Did you find any?"

"One or two."

Merlin gave him an encouraging smile.

"Oh alright, if you must know, I quite liked the idea of Branwen for a girl and Gingalain for a boy. It sounds stupid, but the names stuck with me, though I doubt I'll ever have children."

"Don't be pessimistic. Who says you won't?"

"You know what I'm like Merlin… So what about you?"

"I've never really thought about it and I doubt I'll ever need to."

"Now who's being a pessimist? You're more likely to settle down than me, Merlin, so don't go counting that out."

Merlin hoped that his mask was still in place. Gwaine didn't know this, and neither did anyone else besides Gaius, but the warlock had closed himself off a long time ago. The effect that Morgana caused had been gradual but that was because she had been his friend more than anything, despite what some might have believed. The person who had cut off any idea of being with someone had been Freya.

Merlin did not let this on to anyone (not that he could in general at any rate), but he still thought about her every single day and any thought of trying to be with someone else was pitifully laughable. He knew that he would never find anyone else to match Freya, the sweet Druid girl that had captured his sympathy and his heart. Nothing could replace that feeling.

Gwaine appeared to not notice his friend's sudden silence and continued to ramble on. "… and I bet many women would be interested considering that you're _the king's _personal manservant."

"That's not really a reason for someone to fall in love. Besides, it's not as if it's that interesting."

The knight raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

"Merlin! Gwaine!"

The pair span around to see Percival standing at the end of the corridor behind them.

"Arthur wants to go on a patrol tomorrow morning, so I'm just warning you now."

"We went hunting yesterday morning," Merlin exclaimed, indignantly.

"Tell his queenship that some of us do want to have decent lie-ins at least once a month," Gwaine grumbled, sharing Merlin's disgruntled expression.

"He's concerned that someone may try something now that it's been announced Gwen's pregnant," their friend explained.

That did it. Merlin nodded as did Gwaine, their features smoothing out. Neither of them would go against the king's idea of a patrol if Gwen's safety was to be called into question. It did make sense. Some people would use the excuse of the arrival of a new heir to cause trouble. Their thoughts immediately turned to Morgana. They inwardly shivered.

"Alright," Gwaine replied. "We'll see you in the morning."

* * *

The silence stretched out before them as did the seemingly endless forest. Nobody could think of anything to say, not even Gwaine, who had exhausted his supply of jokes a long while ago. The atmosphere was uneasy as the group peered around at their surroundings, keeping their ears peeled for anything their eyes wouldn't see.

"Why are we so quiet?" Gwaine finally moaned to Elyan.

"Anything could jump out at us," his friend replied, his expression still serious as he surveyed a clump of bushes.

"Give over! It's not as if we're looking for bandits."

"We weren't looking for bandits the other day," Leon cut in, "but they still attacked people."

"That Shadow had everything under control."

"They still needed help even then."

Gwaine was about to retort but a glare from Arthur prevented him. When the king had his back turned, the knight made a joking expression on his face, causing Merlin to snigger. The warlock had to straighten his face when Arthur turned to him. However, he resumed grinning when his master was facing the other way.

"We've been going for most of the day," Merlin soon whispered to Leon. "Surely we should be heading back by now."

"Arthur wants to be sure that everything around here is settled," Leon replied in kind, glancing at the king to make sure that he wasn't listening. Neither of them wanted him to think that they were moaning about something this important.

"I know he's doing this for Gwen's protection, but surely it would be better if he was actually _there with her_," Merlin argued.

Leon frowned. "Didn't Arthur tell you?"

"All I know is that Percival told me and Gwaine that he wanted to do this because of the announcement that Gwen's pregnant."

"Mainly that, but the Shadow was spotted again yesterday."

This surprised Merlin. Why hadn't Arthur told him about this? It was definitely important.

Leon spotted Merlin's confusion and ploughed on before the young man could ask any questions. "He was nearer to the city than when we saw him on that hunt. Arthur thinks that he may be making his way towards there, if he's not there already. The last thing we need is an attempt on the life of our Queen."

The warlock nodded. "What did the Shadow do this time?"

"He somehow managed to turn in a man who had planned on poisoning a fellow villager to get at his crops. How he wasn't caught then is a mystery to everyone and I don't like it. None of us like it. It's too close to home and I'd eat my boots if the Shadow doesn't use magic."

"I won't hold you to that."

"Stop."

The order was sudden, catching them all off guard. Arthur was staring through the trees, where some kind of large object was just visible. Nobody could make it out.

As the king made an abrupt motion with his hand, they all dismounted and silently, crept through the undergrowth. As they drew closer, they saw that it was a dishevelled and weathered caravan that looked as if it would fall apart at any given moment. The horses were grazing next to it and a small fire was lit a few metres away. There was not a soul in sight.

Standing behind a tree, Arthur pointed at Percival and Gwaine, who inched towards the caravan, swords at the ready. As they drew closer, the more worse-for-wear the caravan looked, but there still wasn't a sign of the owner.

Percival went to investigate the area next to the horses whilst Gwaine headed towards the back. A length of purple cloth draped over what appeared to be a doorway and it was gently fluttering in the breeze. Gwaine was glad that Elyan hadn't come down here- it would have reminded him of what had happened with that Druid boy's spirit. As it was, the sight gave the knight the creeps, not that he would admit it to another living thing.

Clutching his sword, Gwaine poked it under the cloth and was about to draw it back when he felt something sharp poke him in between his shoulder blades.

"Back away from the caravan," a voice said in a poisonous whisper. "Now, or I will remove your head. Drop the sword whilst you're at it."

Following the voice's orders, Gwaine let his weapon clatter to the ground.

"Turn around."

Gritting his teeth, the knight did so and was met by something he hadn't been expecting. A young woman was standing before him, her stunning blue eyes alive with suspicion. Her hair was a startling shade of blonde, almost white in colour and she was almost as pale, the only colour in her face being her eyes and her deep set pink lips. Her clothes were tattered in places and looked slightly too big for her, though it was undeniable that she looked good. Her green shirt was under a brown, leather jacket that was strapped across her chest and her muddy brown coloured trousers were tucked into black boots, torn at the knees.

She was currently holding a rather long sword at Gwaine's throat and was holding another one behind her. On her back was a magnificently carved bow and a set of arrows and several similarly sized daggers were strapped to her jacket in an adjacent row that curved around her side. If anyone looked deadly then she definitely did.

"Did your mother ever tell you not to pry?"

"More than likely but then it does come with the job."

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was a bit gentler than before, the anger and suspicion flickering before dying out completely.

Before the knight had the time to answer, there was a roar and Percival and the others appeared out of nowhere, brandishing there weapons.

The girl turned to them and gripped both of her swords.

"FLORIANA! STOP!"

Everybody froze and stared at the caravan. The cloth was drawn back and man in a bedraggled brown robe stepped out, his head held high. His eyes were almost the same shade of blue as the girl's and his hair was grey streaked with areas. Despite his haggard appearance he carried an air of majesty around him. At the moment, his eyes were wide with shock as he surveyed the scene before him. His expression was such that even Arthur and the knights felt cowed.

However, Merlin stared at this stranger, a funny sensation in the back of his head. This man seemed slightly familiar. Had the warlock seen him somewhere before?

"Your highness," the man said, addressing Arthur, "I must ask you not to carry on with what you were about to do. Floriana is young and she only meant well to protect us from strangers."

"How can we be strangers if you know who he is?" Merlin asked, earning a small glare from Arthur.

The man turned his gaze to Merlin and the blue eyes pierced the warlock to the core. He had definitely seen them somewhere before and he could have sworn that he had heard the voice before.

"Who does not know who Arthur Pendragon is?"

It seemed that the girl, Floriana, didn't. She stared at her companion before turning to look at Arthur. The old man said something to her in a language that none of them understood, but the girl nodded and sheathed her swords.

"What is your name?" Arthur asked, his voice now emotionless as he studied the two.

"My name is Aulus and, as I already said, this is Floriana, though she prefers to be called Florie."

"What business do you have in these lands?"

"We were travelling to Camelot, though it seems we met it halfway."

"And what are your plans for when you arrive?"

Everyone noticed the look the girl gave the man. She appeared to be afraid of what he would say.

The man just continued to hold his head high, towering over all of them. "I will not lie to you when I say that we have connections with the Druids, Arthur Pendragon, for they were kind to us in the aftermath of the Great Purge-"

"You're sorcerers?" Immediately, the knights drew their swords.

The girl gave a cry in the foreign language before speaking. "Do you really think we'd be heading for your city if we were? I may have been a baby when my mother and Aulus were driven from Camelot but I know that they had done nothing to warrant the treatment that your father saw fit to bestow upon them. One member of our family was a sorcerer and your father killed the rest of them for no reason other than being related."

"Floriana!" Aulus scolded, giving her a warning look, at which she silenced, although she still glared at Arthur and the knights, her jaw clenching and unclenching.

Arthur felt slightly flustered. He was not accustomed to hear things like that shouted at him, especially about his father, yet here was someone who had clearly suffered for nothing more than sharing blood with a sorcerer and being condemned on nothing more. He decided to let her chiding pass, though he was not sure if he would act on it later or not.

"We are not sorcerers, Sire, but we have had dealings with the Druids over the years. I am indebted to them for saving Floriana's life when she developed a fever as a child. We would not have returned, but this is necessary." He looked to Florie. "Fetch him."

She shook her head. "Is that wise? You can guess as to how most of them will react, especially him." She gestured at Arthur. "No offence, but I can imagine that this would be a personally delicate matter for you."

"What would be?"

"Florie, please."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Aulus." She entered the caravan and the others could hear her converse with somebody else. The soft padding of feet was soon heard as two people walked towards the entrance of the caravan and Florie drew back the curtain of purple cloth.

The person with the girl… was Lancelot.

"Hello," he mumbled, weakly.

There was uproar.

Percival froze completely, his eyes going wide, obviously not knowing what to do. Gwaine let out a string of profanities, grabbing his sword and looking at his fellow knights. Elyan was gritting his teeth, and clenching his sword as if he was about to throw it. Leon was looking at the caravan and then at Arthur, his head flopping from side to side in a comical fashion. Merlin actually took a number of steps, almost crashing to the ground as he tumbled over the gnarled roots of a tree. Arthur, on the other hand, took one look at the caravan before starting forwards, yelling in outright anger.

Fortunately for the supposedly dead knight, Florie leapt forward in front of him and brought one of her swords against Arthur's.

"You'll have to go through me if you want to hurt him," she growled, shoving him backwards.

"He is a traitor!"

"He has done nothing wrong to warrant such treatment! You do not know the whole story. Please calm down. All of you need to listen. He's been with us for several months."

Silence followed this statement. Arthur himself was so shocked that he backed off, allowing Florie to glare at Aulus.

"I did tell you that they would take it like this."

"Would you rather here or in front of the entire court at Camelot?"

"True."

"Seven months?" Merlin asked, looking at Lancelot, his face paling. He had only just noticed that the knight was looking extremely ill and he had a blanket wrapped around him. The knight was a lot thinner as well and his clothes were in tatters. The warlock shuddered as he recognised the clothes as the ones that Lancelot had worn when he had walked into the Veil.

"That links to our connections with the Druids," Aulus explained. "You may need to sit down for this; it may be a long story."

"We'll stand," Arthur growled, looking as if he had no intention to listen to their explanation.

"Please." They stared at the woman, who had only been cold up until that point. "It's not what any of you think. It was all part of a plan that Morgana came up with to stop your wife becoming Queen, helped along by Lord Agravaine."

The knights and Arthur flinched at the mention of the king's uncle. However, one of them wanted to sit; they were all too on edge.

Aulus moved forwards as Florie went back over to Lancelot and forced him to sit on the wooden steps of the caravan, she herself standing next to him like a self-proclaimed bodyguard. Her eyes were sad as she saw the looks that Arthur and the knights were giving him. She also saw Merlin's gloomy expression and she sent him an encouraging smile, apparently confusing the warlock.

"We were passing near a Druid camp where we have a number of acquaintances," Aulus told the group. "One of them stopped us and we discovered that they had managed to pull Lancelot away from the Veil, thankfully surviving that feat."

"How did they pull him away?" Gwaine asked, frowning.

"They felt the pull of his tormented soul and it sort of went on from there. I don't know the specifics, but they brought him back without damaging the Veil. That was several months ago, as Floriana said."

"Then who was that in Camelot all of those months ago?" Arthur exclaimed, clearly becoming irritated. He did not miss Florie glower at him.

"That was a Shade," Aulus continued, "an imprint of a departed soul. The Druids sensed it all and it can be safely said that both Lancelot and your queen are as innocent as they come. It was all part of Morgana's ploy."

Arthur gritted his teeth together as the sting of Gwen's betrayal returned.

"The Shade gave her something, didn't he?" Florie called. "Our friend sensed these shifts. We couldn't do anything to help you because Lancelot was still recovering. He still isn't fully healed as it is." She looked the king straight in the face. "On our lives, this is the truth. I give you my solemn word. Neither Lancelot nor your wife was responsible for what happened. It was all an enchantment."

To the side of the area, Merlin was feeling as if a huge weight was being lifted off of him. Of course, he had known that it hadn't been the real Lancelot, but he had had no idea that Gwen had been under a spell. Indeed, after all of the love spells that Arthur had been put under, it was not hard to believe that the same thing could happen to Gwen.

Ignoring everybody else's stares, the warlock promptly walked over to Lancelot, shaking his head at Florie, who was looking wary, and hugged his friend.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked his friend.

"Nothing a good rest won't sure," Lancelot muttered, though Merlin knew that this wasn't the case. He needed Gaius.

"Is there more room for a hug?"

Both turned around to stare at Gwaine, who took their surprise to his advantage and hugged the pair of them. He could hear the girl titter behind him, but he didn't care. The knight too was relieved to know that his foolishly brave friend was back and that he was innocent.

There was silence as Lancelot turned to face his king. "I swear to you Arthur, I may have had feelings for Gwen but not anymore and more importantly I would never even dream of betraying you like that. I know that she wouldn't either. I care not if you chose to exile me, but I do care that you still suspect her of such a thing, especially as you made her your queen."

For a moment, no one could say what Arthur would do, but there was a collective sigh of relief as he clasped Lancelot's arm in his hand.

"After all you did, would you really expect that? I couldn't be happier to accept you back home." He then turned to Aulus and Florie. "And the pair of you are welcome in Camelot for as long as you want. It seems that we owe you a debt for bringing him back to us."

"We did not do the actual resurrecting, but thank you. It has been many years since I last saw Camelot and I'm eager to return."

"You're going to have to tell Gwen first," Leon suggested. "Heaven forbid what would happen if she saw Lancelot before anyone did any explaining, no offence Lance."

The knights grinned at the use of the nickname. Even Lancelot seemed more cheerful at this.

"She's made of sterner stuff," Arthur argued, "but I see what you mean, especially since…" He turned to Lancelot. "I should explain; Gwen is going to have a baby."

Lancelot's face lit up in a grin, his face no longer drawn. "Congratulations!"

The group of knights then began to chat as they helped Florie and Aulus pack their things and attach the horses back onto the caravan. At one point, Florie picked Gwaine's sword off of the ground and weighed it in her hand.

"Nice sword," she muttered, smiling at the knight. "I imagine it's saved your neck many times."

"Many is an understatement," Gwaine muttered, moving back towards his comrades, yet he still glanced back at her. He couldn't help but grin.

* * *

_This is only the beginning. Things are going to go a fair way from here. Please let me know what you think._

_MerlinStar  
_

_P.S. Who here is shocked the Morgana/Aithusa frinedship? And he can't speak and he's limping around as if he's lame! Poor Aithusa! I wouldn't want to be the person who hurt him if Merlin gets his hands on him. Looking forward to next weeks though. I personally think that Uther will come back as a poltergeist. And I think that Mordred is faking (he swore that he would never forgive or forget Merlin nearly getting him killed and that vision could confirm it). He and Morgana could have planned it offscreen. I'm guessing here!  
_


	4. Author's note

_Hi everyone._

_I'm really sorry, but I'm putting this story on hiatus because, one, I have too much going on the mo to be writing three stories, and two, I've rather lost my inspiration for it after the last episode of Merlin. I will get back to this at some point, though I do have idea for other fanfics as well._

_Really sorry to all my readers who have been so patient with me,_

_MerlinStar_


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